A Pawn's Passage

Before long, six more Deputy Palace Masters arrived, landing behind Sun Hewu. There were now a total of seven deputies.

Two more Deputy Palace Masters did not reveal themselves. Instead, they were stationed elsewhere, overseeing the command of the Spirit Guards and maintaining the formation over the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

Each fulfilled their respective roles.

Sun Hewu immediately commanded, “Get into formation!”

The seven of them simultaneously rose into the air, forming the pattern of the Big Dipper. This was the Seven Star Net Formation, corresponding to the seven stars of the Big Dipper—Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid.

However, the Seven Star Net Formation did not follow the conventional alignment of the seven stars. The positions of Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, and Megrez formed the Dipper Head, while the positions of Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid made up the Dipper Handle.

Among these, Megrez was the dimmest star, yet it was the pivotal link between the Dipper Head and Handle, making it the most critical position. Thus, the person with the highest level of cultivation had to occupy this post. In the Dipper Handle, Alioth was the leading force, so it was assigned to the second-most powerful cultivator.

At this moment, Sun Hewu stood in the Megrez position, while Ning Lingyun occupied the Alioth position.

Zhang Wuhen ascended into the sky as well.

At that moment, the Seven Star Net Formation roared to life, with the Dipper Handle pointing toward Zhang Wuhen. This alignment rapidly stirred the surrounding essence of heaven and earth, which converged around the seven Deputy Palace Masters at the formation’s core.

In the blink of an eye, the sky changed color. The purple curtain of mist above parted as though slashed by an invisible blade. Seven beams of starlight shot through the scattering and chaotic purple mist, like perfectly aligned pillars linking the heavens and earth.

Wild gales surged from all directions, spawning countless vortexes that gradually merged into a massive cyclone, drawing water from the lake below and spiraling upward to connect with the heavens. These seven colossal cyclones descended upon the mortal realm, standing in perfect alignment with the seven pillars of heavenly light.

Zhang Wuhen stood within the heart of the storm, her robe billowing wildly in the fierce winds. She raised her right hand into a fist, where a small point of moonlight suddenly ignited. The radiance intensified rapidly, shining through the flesh and bone of her hand and illuminating her entire form, as if she were grasping the full moon within her palm.

At that moment, Yao Pei, who had remained silent in deep thought, suddenly spoke. “I think I understand now.”

“What do you understand?” Qi Xuansu asked immediately.

Yao Pei watched the eight figures battling in the sky and explained, “The Zhang family raised a Godly Immortal’s child to adulthood. However, the child remained obscure—neither becoming a Grand Master nor a Deputy Grand Master. Perhaps, for various reasons, they failed to live up to Great Sage Yan Feiqing’s expectations and instead lived an unremarkable life. But I recall that the Earthly Preceptor once mentioned that the Taiping Sect has close ties with the Heavenly Court, the Quanzhen Sect frequently interacts with the Qingping Society, and the Zhengyi Sect has a cooperative relationship with the Ziguang Society.”

Qi Xuansu nodded.

After the calamity in Jinling Prefecture and before arriving at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, he had once discussed this matter with Zhang Yuelu.

At the time, Zhang Yuelu had explained the intricacies to him.

Among the three major Daoist sects, the Quanzhen Sect was the largest in numbers, but its many internal factions prevented it from acting as a unified force, hence allowing the Taiping Sect to gain the upper hand.

However, the Taiping Sect was well aware that it could not dominate the other two sects alone, which was why they aligned themselves with the Imperial Court. If the Taiping Sect could support the Heavenly Court, then the larger Quanzhen Sect could surely cultivate the Qingping Society. None of the three Daoist sects were truly clean, so it stood to reason that the Zhengyi Sect would also have its own hidden affiliations.

At the time, Zhang Yuelu had not given Qi Xuansu a direct answer. She had only acknowledged that the Zhengyi Sect was also affiliated with a secret society—though it was not a subordinate organization and was just an ally. However, she did not name the group and only prompted Qi Xuansu to figure it out himself.

Qi Xuansu had suspected either the Seven Treasure Pavilion or the Eight Tribes. However, since the Eight Tribes was more closely linked to the Quanzhen Sect due to their involvement in the creation projects, he had leaned toward guessing the Seven Treasure Pavilion. But he had been wrong.

Yao Pei’s explanation fits perfectly.

It was no wonder Zhang Yuelu had avoided stating it outright. She probably disapproved of the arrangement, but, being of little influence, she had no power to change it.

This brought up another issue—not all secret societies were the same. Groups like the Heavenly Court, Qingping Society, Seven Treasure Pavilion, Eight Tribes, and The Inn did not have Immortals at their helm. Thus, they lacked the power to directly challenge the Daoist Order. Instead, they depended on the Daoist Order for survival. As such, they had a deeply intertwined relationship with the Daoist Order—inseparable yet still acceptable.

However, groups like the Lingshan Witch Cult, Cult of Fates, and Ziguang Society were different. Each of these three had Ancient Immortals within their ranks. Thus, to some extent, they had the power to oppose the Daoist Order directly. As such, these secret societies were considered far more dangerous.

It was no surprise that the Heavenly Court and the Qingping Society were aligned with the Taiping Sect and the Quanzhen Sect, respectively. But the Zhengyi Sect forming an alliance with the Ziguang Society was odd.

But with this newfound information, everything became clear. Strangers could be distant; husbands and wives could turn against each other; even fathers and sons could have an underlying rivalry. However, the bond between mother and child was always the strongest.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Wouldn’t the other two Daoist sects oppose this?”

Yao Pei explained, “I once asked the Earthly Preceptor the same question. Indeed, the other two sects did not oppose it. Let me give you an analogy. Before the Wei Dynasty, the Imperial Court followed the Three Departments and Six Ministries system, where the Three Departments oversaw the Six Ministries and reported to the emperor. After the Wei Dynasty was established, the Three Departments were abolished, and the emperor took direct control of the Six Ministries. Our Daoist system followed a similar path. Initially, the three Daoist sects jointly assisted the Grand Master in ruling over the Daoist Order, which was why the leaders of the three sects held the title of Deputy Grand Master.

“But later, the Holy Xuan decided to reform the Daoist Order, establishing the Nine Halls to gradually replace the three Daoist sects. Essentially, this was a move to centralize power, akin to the Wei Dynasty’s abolition of the Three Departments and having direct control over the Six Ministries. However, before the reform could be fully realized, the Buddhist Sect intervened and disrupted the process.

“As a result, the Nine Halls took over much of the authority once held by the three sects, yet the three Deputy Grand Masters leading the three sects continued to exist in an awkward position. The Grand Masters who followed lacked the Holy Xuan’s overwhelming prestige, so they were unable to complete the transition and could only maintain the status quo.

“Before the Nine Halls were established, the three sects’ scope of authority was broad and loosely defined into three categories—mortal affairs, creations, and supernatural matters. The Taiping Sect governed mortal affairs, the Quanzhen Sect controlled the creation projects, and the Zhengyi Sect oversaw the supernatural realm of ghosts and gods.

“As such, the Zhengyi Sect’s domain over the supernatural realm primarily meant dealing with the Ancient Immortals and the secret societies they established. I’m sure you’ve heard of True Lord Taiyin’s submission to the Daoist Order. This was orchestrated entirely by the then-leader of the Zhengyi Sect, Yan Feiqing.

“At the time, Yan Feiqing faced considerable opposition as the only non-Zhang Great Sage of the Zhengyi Sect, despite having the Holy Xuan’s full backing. His position was far less stable than that of Donghuang, who succeeded the Holy Xuan’s wife as the Great Sage of the Taiping Sect. But by achieving such a monumental success of bringing True Lord Taiyin to the Daoist Order, Yan Feiqing silenced all opposition and cemented his authority as the only non-Zhang Heavenly Preceptor in history.”

“For this very reason, Great Sage Yan Feiqing insisted on keeping the child alive. He intended to replicate True Lord Taiyin’s submission. But this time, through the bond of mother and son. At the very least, he hoped to further fracture the alliance between the Lingshan Witch Cult, Cult of Fates, and Ziguang Society because there had previously been an alliance between the four secret societies, with True Lord Taiyin leading the Xuanyin Sect. But after True Lord Taiyin joined the Daoist Order, the Xuanyin Sect was absorbed into the organization as well, with most of its members incorporated under the Grand Master’s faction.”

“Given the precedent set by True Lord Taiyin and with the Holy Xuan’s wife backing the proposal, even Donghuang could not outrightly deny the feasibility of Yan Feiqing’s plan. Thus, the three Daoist sects eventually reached a consensus and tacitly allowed the Zhengyi Sect to establish contact with the Ziguang Society.”

Hearing this, Qi Xuansu could not help but marvel at the Daoist ancestors’ chicanery. On the surface, they preached benevolence to let the child live, as if they had blind faith in some vague and unknowable fate. It might seem as if these Daoist ancestors were nothing more than empty theorists, but upon closer examination, one would realize that they were artful strategists. This was why the Daoist Order could overthrow the Confucian School and gain dominance over the world.

Yao Pei continued, “While not a complete success, it must be said that Great Sage Yan’s plan still achieved significant results. He failed to use this child to win over True Lord Ziguang, but his effort was not in vain. In the years since, the Ziguang Society has rarely acted openly against the Daoist Order, unlike the outright hostility of the Lingshan Witch Cult and the Cult of Fates.

“However, the relationship between the Zhengyi Sect and the Ziguang Society has since grown increasingly delicate. It is no longer a matter of submission and integration, but something far more complex, especially as the rivalries between the three sects have intensified.”

Qi Xuansu murmured, “Keeping the enemy in check?”

“It’s not that simple,” Yao Pei replied ambiguously. “For now, let’s set aside the exact nature of the relationship between the Ziguang Society and the Zhengyi Sect. What I’ve been thinking about is this—after True Lord Ziguang’s child in the Shi generation passed away, how did the Zhang family continue to maintain the Zhengyi Sect’s connection with Ziguang Society? Or, to put it more bluntly, what kept the Zhang family tied to True Lord Ziguang?”

Qi Xuansu was not foolish. He had simply lacked enough information. Now that Yao Pei had laid out the details, the answer became clear. “Naturally, it would be that child’s descendants—the grandchildren of True Lord Ziguang.”

“Exactly. Just now, Zhang Wuhen mentioned that the Heavenly Preceptor was named by Great Sage Yan Feiqing. The name Wushou means no longevity, and it originated from this quote, ‘The more one struggles, the shorter their lifespan. The heavens abhor excess.’ That alone carries great meaning. But Wushou has another interpretation—no man lives to a hundred years, yet he carries a thousand years of worries. If we break it down—who is denied a century of life? Who has been the Daoist Order’s thousand-year worry?”

Yao Pei paused before concluding, “This led me to a hypothesis—that child left behind twins.”

Qi Xuansu was stunned. “You’re saying that the Heavenly Preceptor is actually the grandson of True Lord Ziguang and that Zhang Wuhen is the granddaughter of True Lord Ziguang? Zhang Juyan, who sacrificed himself to save his mother, would be the great-grandson of True Lord Ziguang?”

Yao Pei nodded. “Exactly. It now seems clear that True Lord Ziguang never intended to have a child. It was likely an accident. She probably didn’t expect it herself. But the fact that she didn’t take her offspring with her was intentional. It wasn’t just about leaving behind an emergency escape route either.”

“If Zhengyi Sect and Ziguang Society had this connection, then why would Ziguang Society stir up trouble at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace?” Qi Xuansu asked.

“When Qi Jianyuan came to find me, I only thought it was strange. Why would Ziguang Society act like this? It would put the Heavenly Preceptor in an impossible position, and it didn’t align with their usual style. Now, I understand. It wasn’t True Lord Ziguang’s doing. It was Zhang Juyan acting on his own accord.”

Yao Pei looked out over Xingye Lake. “Zhang Juyan’s motive is obvious now—he wanted to rescue his mother, Zhang Wuhen. We were all deceived by him.”

Qi Xuansu thought it over carefully and realized it was true.

The proof was undeniable. It was not True Lord Ziguang who descended upon Wanxiang Daoist Palace—it was Zhang Wuhen. The difference between the two was as vast as heaven and earth.